Paul Wall has always been a man of the people. His first major label album, 2003’s, The People’s Champ debuted at number one on Billboard’s Top 200 thanks to Paul’s unique blend of Southern charm, supreme relatability and quick wit. His follow-up album two years later, Get Money, Stay True, solidified Paul’s brand of trunk-rattling Houston hip-hop with rap fans around the world. Now, Paul Wall is speeding alongside rap’s elite with the release of his brand new album The Fast Life on Swisha House/Asylum Records.
Although he’s on top of the game now, Paul Wall’s rise to super-stardom was anything but sudden. The H-Town MC’s hip-hop story began nearly fifteen years when 14 year-old Paul Stayton started working street-side promotions for Def Jam, Cash Money and No Limit. Over the next 11 years, Paul gained local fame as a DJ turned underground MC signed to the famed Houston labels Paid In Full and Swisha House. While word of his lyrical prowess started to spread via his now-classic indie albums, back home Paul was well on his way to becoming the most recognizable custom jewelry designer in the Southern United States.
When The People’s Champ was certified platinum in 2003, Paul became one of rap music’s most revered hustlers. After popularizing and creating grills for hip-hop heavyweights like T.I., Lil Jon and Fat Joe, Paul became a cultural icon.
His latest LP, The Fast Life, is not only a celebration of his many successes, but a moving testament of the endless hours he dedicated to becoming the chart-topping MC he is today. “Most of the time it’s all about ripping and running and hustling and grinding and getting it on,” says Paul of his life nowadays. “But I’m just really trying to have fun and that’s what we did with this album.”
Featuring guests like Akon, Webbie, Young Joc, and Tech 9, The Fast Life is further proof that hard work pays off. On the Beanz & Kornbread produced track “Look At Me Now,” Paul delves deep into his rocky rise to the top. “That song is talking about my journey coming up and starting at the bottom of the barrel,” he says. “It’s all about having a lot of people turn on you and hate on you and but still striving to succeed in life.” Sticking to matters close to his heart, Paul Wall’s troubled childhood is an open book on “Momma Raised Me” where he details his absentee father’s drug addiction and his family’s hardships.
“Fly,” featuring Young Joc and Guerilla Zoe, finds Paul back in good spirits and announcing, “I’m higher than the price of gas” over producer Amadeus slick synth-based beat. The party continues on “Girl Is On Fire” where Akon shows up to celebrate the many marvelous wonders of the female species. Former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker offers up two productions on The Fast Life including the drug-induced “Pop One of These” featuring Too $hort, Skinhead Rob and The Federation. “A lot of people know Travis from his rock ‘n roll remixes,” says Paul. “But he’s a hell of a producer by himself so I think people are really going to love his production on this album.”
Paul journeys down the Shreveport, Louisiana for the LP’s lead single “Bizzy Body” which is produced by Mouse and features fellow Asylum artist, Webbie. “I’ve been wanting to do a song with Mouse and Webbie for a long time, we just never had a chance to do it,” says Paul. “It was fun going out there. Webbie hoped out the car with three bottles of champagne and we just went in the studio and came up with something.”
By covering both the highs and lows that inevitably come along with life in the fast lane, Paul Wall’s latest album is a hearty dose of life as only he knows it. “My wordplay and delivery has definitely improved a whole lot on The Fast Life,” he says. “I’ve always been a really witty, clever rapper with a lot of metaphors and saying words that people wouldn’t expect to hear in a song. I’ve always been a real fly guy so it comes through in the music too.”http:
It's sure to be a platinum seller 4sho! Go Support ya Boy!
-Vicious-
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